Facebook have come under a lot of fire for the way they've used their
safety checks. Being that it was up to their staff which incidents it
would be rolled out for, prompting some people to hit the bias button pretty hard. Well, this news may well satiate the nay-sayers.

The new feature will allow communities to 'activate' the safety check,
which means that local trends can render the service active, rather than
Facebook's staffers actually having to switch it on. This new fangled
service will initially be available in 80 different languages,
with the added bonus of being able to suggest groups for people in the
crisis areas to join in order to spread information about aid and
shelter.

This is obviously a pretty direct response to all the past criticisms, particularly
the lack of any safety check for those caught in the Beirut on November
12 last year, which claimed the lives of 43 people. As clear as
that is, the update also appears to be a way of developing the feature
into something better suited to rapid response. People can't depend on
waiting until the Facebook staff find out that something has happened,
and like it or lump it, Facebook is a vital source of news and social
information now.

This version of things is more based around algorithms, and relies on
people talking about what's going on in posts to be triggered. It's not
exactly foolproof, but if someone in a particular area hears about
something just as it's starting, a chain reaction often begins.
Supposedly, people will also be able to send safety 'requests' as
well, prompting people they're concerned about to confirm that they're
alright.